Heruto
Zaxbeez
Genesis
Naruto Uzumaki was infuriated. He stood in a dome of mirrors, fists clenched and shaking. Sasuke Uchiha lay dead at his feet, killed by their opponent. The masked boy, Haku, came out of the mirror he was hiding in.
"I'm sorry. He shouldn't have to die. But such is the way of a ninja. We are nothing but tools. And I broke him."
Naruto didn't even want to correct him, to help him, to change him. All he wanted… was that boy dead. "Shut up." Was his voice different? He didn't care to think about it. "I hate you. You. Will. Die."
Haku was truly sad he killed Naruto's friend. But the notion that he would die at the hands of this orange ninja was ridiculous. Haku had just kept them at bay, with barely any effort. He nearly laughed, but kept it in check. "I'm sorry Naruto. But you can't kill me. You couldn't even touch me in-"
"YOU THINK I CARE??" Red chakra was seeping out of him now, and power was radiating out of him. Haku took a step back; where did this come from…?
"YOU KILLED HIM! HE WAS MY TEAM MATE! MY FRIEND! A PRECIOUS PERSON! AND YOU KILLED HIM! YOU. WILL. DIE. NOW!!!"
Haku slid back into his mirror for protection, and felt safe for the moment. He pulled out some sebon (ninja throwing needles) and started to throw them at Naruto. They never hit.
Naruto, rage building, screamed out in anger, unleashing his chakra. The power was so immense that the sebon were flung back, and Haku's mirrors shattered. Haku himself was shot out of his safe haven, thrown some twenty feet, landing hard on the bridge.
"How did you-" Haku was cut off, as Naruto nearly instantly had a fist to Haku's mask, shattering it and throwing him into the bridge wall.
Naruto slowly walked to the bleeding and battered boy, red charka swirling around him. The mist obscuring Haku's view, coupled with his fleeting vision, made Naruto a dark figure in the middle of a maelstrom of menacing chakra. Had he been a lesser ninja, Haku would have passed out from fear.
Naruto lowered his clawed hands to Haku's shoulders slowly, resting them there for a second. Haku screamed out as Naruto clenched his hands, piercing Haku's muscle and bone. Naruto did this with such force, he was actually holding Haku's bones in his fists. Haku was raised up to his feet, screaming in agony. In reflex, his hands flew up to Naruto's arm in a feeble attempt to stop Naruto.
"You're a dead man." The pure intent to kill scared Haku, making him clench onto Naruto's arms tighter. Naruto didn't even notice.
He released Haku with his left hand, making Haku drop his right arm in uselessness, pulling it across his own face, ready to back hand (PIMP SLAP) Haku's head off.
Haku knew he was about to die.Oh God… this is it.
Naruto snarled, tensed one more time, and then dropped Haku suddenly.
"What the hell was that??" Naruto asked after a scream of pain.
Haku was confused, then looked at Naruto's arm. It looked almost frozen. Did… did I do that? He looked at his useless hands, bewildered. Can't move… I'm a goner. I'm sorry Zabuza-sama… Haku tilted his head back, not wanting to look at the beast that was going to kill him. He noticed how the sky looked somehow darker than it did earlier. Maybe it's the blood loss. Or the mist is thicker. Maybe a cloud moved in front of the-
His thoughts were cut off, as Naruto's clawed hand just ripped through the boy's throat, sending his dead body a few feet through the air.
Naruto let out a roar, a victorious shout. He panted for a few moments, reveling in the feeling of the power he now had at his disposal. Then, as suddenly as it came, it was gone. Naruto felt the strength leave him, and he fell on his back, nearing unconsciousness. He was disgusted at the blood he was laying in, but wasn't in the mood to move. Was the sky darker than usual? Maybe it was just a cloud or something…
Kakashi Hatake had won. Zabuza was pinned to the spot by his ninja dogs, their jaws dug into his flesh. After the explosion of chakra he NEVER wanted to feel again, he walked over to check on his students. The mist was clearing, allowing him to see much more clearly. Sakura Haruno, a pink haired adolescent girl, was in relatively good condition having to only had to protect their client. She was currently crying over Sasuke, who was dead. Kakashi walked over and stood next to her. He rolled his eyes, Of course she has no idea he's alive. I shouldn't expect them to LOOK at the body to see if he's breathing. I need to get her out of this fangirlism she's in. "Sakura, he's alive. Stop crying over it."
He turned to walk towards Naruto, currently lying on the ground. He slightly flinched when he heard Sakura squeal over the Uchiha, who Kakashi assumed was waking up. "Oi, Naruto, what happened?"
Naruto lazily looked over to his sensei, then back to the sky. "I won." Kakashi looked over to the boy, who got tossed to the uncompleted edge of the bridge.
"I can see that. What was that chakra?" Kakashi wondered if Naruto knew exactly what he had done.
"Probably Kyuubi's. It felt so… evil. I don't want to use it again…"
"Good idea." Kakashi squatted next to Naruto. "You know though, you might have to eventually."
Naruto sighed. "I thought so. If I was stronger though, I wouldn't have to, right?"
"Maybe. I hope so."
"Kakashi-sensei, Haku said that ninjas are just tools… weapons to be used by someone. Is that true?"
"Partly. While we are tools, we shouldn't let that define us. I'm Kakashi first, then a tool. You're Naruto, then a tool. It's not always nice, but it's the way of the ninja."
"You know, I don't like that. I'm gonna change it. My nindo is that I'm my own person. I'll never go back on my word, and I will protect my precious people with my life. That's my nindo. My ninja way."
"Well, I hope that works for you, Naruto. Come on, let's go get Sasuke and Sakura."
"Sasuke's alive!?" Naruto jumped up and ran over to his fallen friend.
Kakashi chuckled, He'll get stronger. Much stronger. The jonin stood up and walked over to Zabuza, ready to finish this. He stood in front of the missing-nin, kunai in hand. "Well Zabuza, are you ready to die?"
"No. But you're going to kill me anyway. So go ahead and do it."
A voice rang out across the bridge, "Well well! What do we have here? Did big, bad Zabuza get hurt?" A small, fat man was standing in front of numerous bandits, all with sinister looks on their faces.
Zabuza growled, "Gato."
Gato laughed a high laugh, failing to sound dark or intimidating. "Since you're almost dead anyway, you're fired! I wasn't going to pay you anyway. How stupid ARE you?" Gato walked over to where Haku was sprawled, "That reminds me, you little punk! You grabbed me and nearly broke my arm! I've been meaning to repay you for that!" Gato reared back his leg and kicked the dead body. "Huh. I only wish he was alive to feel It." Gato used his cane to poke Haku's face.
Zabuza looked at Kakashi, "Well well Kakashi, it would seem our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ, Tazuna is safe. Let me go and I'll get out of your hair."
"Are you kidding me??" Naruto yelled, getting his second wind. "You're gonna let him do that to Haku??"
"Be quiet, you fool. Haku's dead, what does it matter?"
"What?! You mean you can just stand here and watch Haku get treated like a dog? You and Haku were together for years, doesn't that MEAN anything?"
"You don't understand the way of shinobi. I merely used him, just as Gato used me. Now, it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, THAT means something to me. But the boy… nothing."
"If you mean that," Naruto growled, "you're an even bigger rat than I thought."
Kakashi grabbed Naruto's jumpsuit and tried to pull him back, "Okay, that's enough. Calm down Naruto, he's not the enemy; not right now."
Naruto broke from Kakashi's grip. "Shut up! Far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one! Why you… you ungrateful… after everything he did for you… Haku LIVED for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him, and he meant nothing to you, nothing at all? While he was sacrificing EVERYTHING for you, you never felt anything for him? He threw his life away, and for what? For you and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care. And you just toss him aside, like he was nothing! A broken tool… Man that's so wrong! SO WRONG!"
"You talk too much." Zabuza said, head hung low. Naruto was about to yell at him some more, but noticed the tears falling to the ground. "Your words cut deep, kid. While he fought you, his heart was tearing itself apart. You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind; he felt pain and sorrow, and now curse him, I feel them too! Something else… I feel content that this is the way it ends. Kakashi, release me. I'm going to kill this son of a bitch." Zabuza started tearing away at the wrappings around his mouth with his pointed teeth.
Kakashi sighed. "After all that, I don't even get to win…" His ninja dogs poofed out of existence, freeing the legendary swordsman.
Zabuza looked like he was trying to reach his sword, but his arms seemed to not work. "Damn you Kakashi, you made my arms useless!"
Kakashi unzipped a pouch on his hip, pulled out a kunai, and tossed it to Zabuza, who caught it in his mouth. "There. Don't say I never did anything for you."
Zabuza let out a muffled, sarcastic "Thanks," and started charging towards Gato. He sliced his way through Gato's bandits, taking a few swords and spears to his chest and back, but kept charging on, running on adrenaline .He was running through the meat shields, yelling at Gato on the way. "You're going to hell Gato! And I'm going with you! You think they'll take your bribes there? You'll be tortured for eternity! But me," Zabuza chuckled, "I'll fit right in. I'll be the one torturing you, you bastard!"
He finally reached the fat man, who feared for his life. "DIE!" Zabuza sliced the kunai through Gato's throat, making the man tumble backwards into the ocean, falling off the incomplete bridge. Zabuza promptly fell to the ground, spears and blades sticking out of his back.
The bandits looked back at where their dead boss fell. Finally, one yelled, "There's only 4 of 'em! Let's kill 'em!" The rest agreed, and started to charge to the tired team of ninja. Suddenly, an arrow flew and hit one of them.
"You won't take our town! Run away! NOW!" A boy, Inari, yelled. He was wearing a cooking pot on his head, leading the rest of the villagers against the bandits.
Naruto turned to face him, "Good job Inari! You're a hero! Now, let's see what we can do about these bandits…" Naruto molded his chakra into his hands, which were forming the cross seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Fifteen clones of Naruto poofed into existence, all ready to charge and attack the bandits. "Let's go!" The Narutos charged, followed by the villagers.
The bandits realized how out matched they were, and ran back to their ship, trying desperately to get away from these people. A few were foolish, and decided to try to attack the strange orange-clad ninja. One grabbed a Naruto clone by the arm, and Naruto was reminded of the feeling Haku gave him, when he was about to kill him. The shocked feeling of something unexpected happening; Naruto felt it again.
The bandit looked on, horrified, as his arm was being frozen solid. "What the hell are you doing to me?? Sto-" But the bandit couldn't talk anymore. His entire body was frozen solid. Naruto ripped his arm away from the man's grip, shattering him. Kakashi took note of this, and decided to ask Naruto about it later. The clone looked around, confused, and shrugged. It simply got back to chasing the other bandits away.
A few made it, but most jumped off the bridge, fleeing at any cost.
The villagers cheered and were glad to have protected their homes.
Kakashi walked over to where Zabuza lie. "I guess it's over."
"Yeah… Kakashi, I have a request." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Take me to him."
"All right, Zabuza." Kakashi pulled all of the blades of Zabuza's back, and then carried him over to Haku's body. As was walking to where Haku's body lay, snow began to fall.
"Snow? At this season?" One of the villagers was heard saying.
Haku, are you crying? Kakashi set Zabuza down next to Haku. "Thanks, Kakashi." With that, Kakashi walked back to where Naruto stood. Zabuza turned his head to look at Haku, "We've been together all this time, so I'll die next to you. If possible… I want to go to the same place you're going to…"
And so Zabuza Momochi died.
Naruto was crying, "Haku was born in a place with a lot of snow…"